Helping People Transform Their Neighborhoods
Welcome to AlterNation LLC, where community safety meets innovative planning. We help organizations and communities create safer, more livable neighborhoods through urban safety, crime prevention, and community development. Our approach is grounded in SafeGrowth® – a community-driven planning method integrating CPTED, urban planning, and local capacity building.
About Us
Who We Are
AlterNation LLC is an interdisciplinary consulting firm specializing in community safety, crime prevention, urban planning, and community development. Established in 2004, we combine professional practice and innovative methods to help organizations and communities address complex safety and livability challenges.
Our Vision
We envision safer and resilient neighborhoods where people are actively engaged in shaping their own future. We believe lasting change grows from communities empowered to create solutions that reflect their unique needs and aspirations.
Our Mission
Our mission is to help communities and organizations turn knowledge into action. Drawing on SafeGrowth® principles and our extensive expertise in urban planning and crime prevention, we build local capacity to create practical solutions for safer, more vibrant and resilient places.
Our Global Network
AlterNation works through an international network of practitioners and partners with expertise in criminology, urban planning, CPTED, policing, community development, community organizing, social work, and related fields. This allows us to bring diverse perspectives to projects while adapting our work to the unique context of each neighborhood.
For a detailed overview of our experience, team, selected projects and capabilities, view our
Our Expertise
Urban Safety & Crime Prevention
We combine criminology, crime prevention science, and place-based planning to understand safety challenges and develop practical strategies for safer, more livable neighborhoods and public spaces.
Urban Planning & Neighborhood Development
We connect urban planning with community development to build social cohesion, strengthen neighborhoods, improve quality of life, and support locally driven approaches to long-term safety and resilience.
CPTED & Environmental Design
Our expertise spans First-, Second-, and Third-Generation Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), integrating physical design with social and sustainability dimensions of place.
Community Capacity & Collaborative Problem-Solving
We specialize in building the skills, partnerships, and local leadership needed for communities and organizations to develop solutions and sustain them.
Crime Analysis & Spatial Forensics
We use crime analysis, spatial and temporal analysis, safety and fear mapping, and spatial forensics to better understand how crime, risk, and perceptions of safety interact with place.
Organizational Learning & Transformation
Drawing on emotional intelligence, project-based learning and socio-technical systems, we help our clients adapt and respond to complex challenges.
Our Services
1
Consulting & Advisory
Holistic CPTED assessments, safety audits, crime prevention, risk and vulnerability assessment, urban safety planning, neighborhood plan development.
2
Training & Professional Development
SafeGrowth®, CPTED, problem-based learning, emotional intelligence, digitized safety audit, and customized professional training.
3
Community Planning & Facilitation
Search Conferences, Livability Academies, SafeGrowth® planning, community engagement, and neighborhood/organizational capacity building.
4
Research & Analysis
Applied & action research, crime science, fear mapping, spatial & temporal analysis, and evidence-informed recommendations.
5
Expert Witness Services
Expert analysis, reports, and court testimony in crime prevention, environmental design, security, and spatial forensics.
Need a tailored solution?
Our services can be combined and adapted to the needs of your organization, community, or project.
SafeGrowth® - Our Method
Our Approach
Our approach is grounded in SafeGrowth® – a participatory method for creating safer, more livable neighborhoods. It brings residents and professionals together to understand local challenges, build capacity, and develop evidence-informed solutions tailored to each community and its unique context.
How we apply it
We apply SafeGrowth® by working directly with residents and local partners to understand how their neighborhood functions and why problems emerge and persist. Using CPTED, multiple data sources and neighborhood safety audits, teams develop their own solutions while building the capacity to adapt as conditions change
Who We Work With
Our Clients
AlterNation works with public agencies, municipalities, governments, police, non-profits, community organizations, corporations, planning and design professionals, and private-sector partners. Our projects range from neighborhood-level safety and community capacity-building to professional development, CPTED assessment, risk assessment and strategic planning.
Municipalities · Government Agencies · Police · Community Organizations · NGOs · Design & Planning Professionals · Private Organizations
Selected Clients and Projects
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Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
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AARP
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HACE (Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises), Philadelphia
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Federated Cooperative Limited, Canada
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Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
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Deloitte
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Boston Public Health Commission
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WXY Architecture + Urban Design
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TriMet Transportation, Portland, OR.
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Oxnard Holistics, Oxnard, CA.
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New York City, NY
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Helsingborg City, Sweden
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City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
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City of San Mateo, California
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City of Arvada, Colorado
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City of Christchurch, New Zealand
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City of Brisbane, Australia
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City of Melbourne, Australia
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City of San Antonio, Texas
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City of North Battleford, Manitoba
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City of Hartford, Connecticut
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City of Grande Prairie, Alberta
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The Children’s Health Foundation, Sooke, BC
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The Alexander Law Practice, Jacksonville, FL.
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U.S. Department of Justice
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Police departments in Baltimore, MD., Concord, CA., Sudbury, Ont., Durham Regional, Ont., Arvada, CO., Denver, CO., Burlington, VT., Seattle, WA., Chula Vista, CA., Ottawa, Ont., RCMP (BC, AB, Man., Ont., NB., NS, NL, NWT), Colorado DPS
